WARKWORTH SHOW |
150th Anniversary of the Show Victorian costumes featured in one of the The Warkworth Show, which began life on the An anniversary booklet was launched at a ‘Cream Tea’ event at Emberside House, Bridge Street on Sunday afternoon July 26 2009. The postscript is provided by show president, Tom Pattinson, who describes village shows nationwide as being an “endangered species” and that the challenge now is to “survive and prosper alongside increasingly diverse attractions. He ends on an optimistic note: “…..I believe the Warkworth event will continue to flourish. The strength and commitment exists within this parish to continue a proud tradition of organising one of the top shows in the region.” The 2009 event took place at Warkworth Castle on Saturday August 22nd and among the hundreds of entry classes were 150th anniversary commemorative floral art and poetry competitions. In addition there was a prize for producing the best “Earll of Northumberland’s Kake” based on a 1684 recipe. Entry forms for all the horticultural, industrial and children’s classes appeared in the 150th anniversary show schedule which was available from Lydia Davis on 01665 714576 and could be downloaded from the Warkworth web site. Admission to the show, which begins at 12 noon, was £4.50 adults, concessions £4, five to 16-year-olds £2.50, family ticket £11, under fives and English Heritage members free. Tickets for the Cream Tea event were £3 and the booklet cost is £1. Both are obtainable from Sally Black on 01665 711262. ---and the women STILL make the tea Despite the myriad developments of the Warkworth Show over the past 150 years and its embracing of modern tastes and lifestyles, one activity that continues unchanged is: the women make the tea. Today’s Warkworth Show boasts hundreds of classes reflecting village life; there are flowers, vegetables, home baking, arts, crafts and entertainment and, oh yes, refreshments – provided by Ulgham Women’s Institute. This essential contribution to the show’s continuing success handsomely illustrates the adage: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Nevertheless, the role of females in the Warkworth Show has changed; whilst a WI still handles the catering – and it’s the Ulgham group’s principal fund-raiser of the year - women are now responsible for a hefty slice of the event’s organisation and dominate in many of the classes. Indeed the show’s ‘Industrial Committee’ (so named after home industries such as baking, needlework and knitting) is entirely made up of women. Sally Black and fellow show executive members Pat Bagshaw and Jane Wilkes compiled the commemorative booklet “A Celebration of the Warkworth Show” which traces the history of the event since 1859. Said Sally: “In those early days, the show was officially known as a floral and horticultural fete and was distinctly ‘men only’ – women were almost certainly not allowed to enter any of the competitions. The ‘horticultural committee’ was all-male, a state of affairs that existed until very recently. “However, women were needed for the extremely important task of making tea and preparing food for the many hundreds of visitors that would flock to the castle grounds from Tyneside and Northumberland. The planning and execution of the catering was organised by the aptly named ‘Tea Committee’.” It wasn’t until after the First World War that women became involved in more aspects of the show. “It’s probably no coincidence that the advent of the Women’s Institute movement in the UK around this time helped bring about a change in attitude and an opening up of the show to women. “Although the industrial section was created to enable women to display their traditional ‘housewifely’ skills, the show’s organisation was run by men. “There was a ‘ladies committee’ formed to help with the running of this aspect of the show. Incredibly, this title remained until 1994 when the show schedule finally listed an ‘industrial committee’.” The industrial section of the show has developed enormously over the years. Nowadays, there are more than a hundred classes open to men and women and over sixty for children, ranging from poetry to photography, art to apple tarts and wood carving to wool-knit socks.
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About the photographs The Ladies Tea Committee circa 1900; the “Ladies Committee” (later to be formally known as the Industrial Committee) of 1971; and the 2009 Industrial Committee with its Chairman Sally Black, extreme right, front row. Featured in the 1971 and 2009 pictures is expert flower arranger Margaret Burrell whose great grandfather helped organise the first Warkworth Show in 1859. Margaret, who is seen second right front row in the 1971 shot and second row back extreme left in the 2009 picture, first took part in competitions more than 70 years ago. She has since won countless prizes for her flower arrangements including the Burrell Memorial Cup – named after her uncle William and father Robert, two great show stalwarts of yesteryear. |
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Celebrated its
150th Anniversary - to read all about it click here |
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| 07:00 | Staging of exhibits to commence |
| 09:45 | Exhibitors to clear marquee for judging to commence |
| 10:00 | Castle and grounds open to public |
| 10:00 | Judging to commence |
| 11:30 | Refreshment tent open for hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, scones and cakes. |
| 12:00 | Craft demonstrations to commence |
| 12:30 | Marquee open to the public |
| 13:00 | Produce and gift stall open Start of 2.5km Fun |
| 13:30-16:30 | Entertainment in and around the castle including a Brass Band, Dancers and various children’s activities including a Magician and Face Painting. |
| 14:30 | Children’s Fancy Dress Parade |
| 15:15-16:30 | Prize monies paid out |
| 16:15 | Presentation of Cups and Trophies |
| 16:45 | Raffles Drawn Show closes – public to leave marquee |
| 16:50 | Exhibitors to remove exhibits from marquee |
| 17:05 | Auction of donated items |
| 18:00 | Castle closes |
Ulgham Women’s Institute served refreshments from 11.30 at the western end of the main marquee. |
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PRODUCE AND GIFT STALL |
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Warkworth Show Fun Run 2009 Results: 2.5km Men
Women
Under 16 Boys
Under 16 Girls
Complete results1. Ian Harding 7m26s;
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Admission charges to Warkworth Show and Castle |
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Adults: £4.50 Concessions: £4.00 Children under 5 to 16: £2.50 Under 5 FREE Family ticket: £11.00 Members of English Heritage: Free, on production of a valid membership card.
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Was open to pre-school and first-school children. Fancy dress parade was at 2.30 p.m. They assembled at 2.20 p.m. beside the Each entrant wore a label stating name, age and
the subject represented. |
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SCHEDULES AND ENTRY FORMS WERE OBTAINED FROM SHOPS IN AMBLE AND WARKWORTH AND MRS LYDIA DAVIS TEL: 01665 714 576 or were downloaded via link:
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Saturday, 21st August 2004 |
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Mary Dixon received the Women's Institute cup for "A Gift of Any Craft, Maximum Value £5". She certainly has a great talent with her knitting needles - the socks looked absolutely perfect and deserved the highest award. |
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It was warm and sunny at Warkworth
when the historic village and
Only a few days before, there were dire forecasts and speculation that the continuing downpour would lead to the cancellation of the event. Teams of volunteers, in conjunction with English Heritage, managed to make sure the two marquees housing the displays and exhibits remained high and dry. Show Chairman, Roger Black, said "We had urged visitors to wear weather proof shoes or wellies as it would be damp underfoot, but the weather held. The only major casualty of the wet weather was the non-appearance of the heavy steam engine. Otherwise just about all the other elements of the show remained." Show entries, meanwhile, were well up on last year, with the industrial section enjoying a 25% increase and the children's section doubling in size. In addition to the traditional flower, floral art, vegetable, fruit, handicrafts, jam-making and cookery, sections were also devoted to photography, art and poetry. The day's entertainment included traditional country crafts, children's "free-choice" fancy dress, Merlin the magician, the Wansbeck Ashington Brass Band, Alnwick Pipers' Society, balloon modelling and face painting. The "men only" section made sure that the ladies couldn't claim a monopoly of the cookery awards at this year's event. Mr. Black added "The all-male category was extended to give the gentlemen more opportunities to show off their culinary skills. We don't have any trouble getting the ladies to enter the cookery events but the men need some encouragement." Among the many trade stalls was the
National Chrysanthemum Society's stand, manned by Peter Fraser of Blyth, who
cultivated a special bloom for the
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| SHOW'S "UNIQUE" FLORAL ARTIST | |
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One of Northumberland's best-known flower arrangers tested her skills in the annual village show she first entered as a child more than three quarters of a century ago. Margaret Burrell had four entries in the 135th Warkworth Show. Show organisers say that her record of involvement puts her in a class of her own. |
A teacher for forty years, Margaret, who has lived in Warkworth all her life and whose family links extend back to the show's origins, competed in the floral art section. However Miss Burrell knows only too well that the family connections will not sway the judges; the identities of the entrants are unknown until after the assessments have taken place. To win the Burrell Memorial Cup, which was donated in memory of her Uncle William and father Robert - both former show stalwarts - Margaret's work would need to be judged the outstanding exhibit of all seven flower classes. She has won the award on several occasions but winning prizes is not her incentive for entering. "I just enjoy taking part in the event," she says. "It is very satisfying to create designs that interest visitors and provoke talking points; few people ever agree with the judges!" Taking part in the show is something Margaret has been doing every year since she first exhibited a bouquet of wild flowers "when I was about seven". The family connection with the show goes back to when her great grandfather John Moore was part of the founding committee of the first show in 1859. Her father was heavily involved with the show's organisation for many years. Margaret helped form the Warkworth and District Flower Club in the 1960s and was its founder chairman. Apart from the hundreds of exhibits in the Warkworth Show, she has taken part in flower festivals throughout the county. In addition she has designed and arranged successful flower festivals in St Lawrence's Church, in the village and her own Church, Warworth United Reformed Church. Roger Black, Show Chairman, says "Margaret has been a fantastic supporter of the show for many years and is one of its great cornerstones. She is unique." The show took place in the Castle grounds on Saturday 19th August 2006 (timetable.) As usual with this, the biggest and oldest tented event of its kind in Northumberland, there was a wide variety of categories for adults and children to enjoy - from flower, fruit and vegetable displays to painting, photography, handicrafts and cookery. Entertaining the crowds was the Wansbeck Ashington Brass Band, the Gateshead-based Wilkinson School of Highland and Clog dancing, and Merlin the Magician. The ever-popular children's fancy dress competition was based on a 'come as you please' theme. A continuous free bus service from the beach road car park was in operation with pick up points in the village. For admission charges please click here. |
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LOYALTY REWARDED AND NEW RECRUIT WELCOMED “Two stalwart supporters were rewarded for their loyalty to Warkworth Show when they were appointed Vice Presidents at the show’s recent AGM. Maisie Luke has served on the industrial committee for more than 50 years while Mary Knowles has notched up over 30. Maisie and Mary have served up coffee, scones and shortbread on show mornings for all the judges, stewards and committee members, giving us a chance to greet and welcome our judges. We hope they will continue this fine work for many more years. We welcome Simon Buist to the post of treasurer following the retirement from the job of Fred Calvert” |
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WARKWORTH SHOW CELEBRATES ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY Our first event this year was the Market Stall in the Market Place on Saturday 6th June at 10.00hrs.
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WARKWORTH SHOW ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11th 2010 at 7.30pm AGENDA Nominations for election of Honorary Officers and Vice Presidents will be accepted no later than 7 days prior to the AGM The minor changes to the Constitution to be proposed are as follows: Sally Sample Tel. 01665 711321 |